A Tribute to Our Friend, Jonna Buck

Jonna Buck, VP of Administration who enjoyed a 30-year career at OEC, passed away May 17 following a hard-fought battle with cancer. She leaves behind her husband, Mike, and daughter, Abby.

Since 1991, Jonna has been instrumental in bringing innovative technology to OEC, such as the revolutionary Prepaid program in 2006. She was never afraid to be the first to try something and was proud to represent OEC at national conferences as an expert in her field. She advocated strongly for the Operation Round Up® program, which has since given back over $5 million to those in need.

Hired as a summer part-time clerk typist in 1988, then a customer service representative in 1991, Jonna quickly became one of the most knowledgeable employees who knew the billing system inside and out. As such, she climbed the ladder to eventually become the VP of Administration, a role which she had held since 2013.

Our thoughts are with Mike, Abby and the rest of her family and friends. Jonna will be greatly missed.

"Jonna was a joy to work with and I always appreciated her approach to decision making in being such a good steward financially concerning our membership. She will be greatly missed by all of us." — Marty Hayes, VP of Operations

"Jonna was a valuable part of the Management Team. Everyone thought highly of her. Jonna was always willing to go the extra mile for anyone, and she will be missed." — Ryan Spears, Manager of Loss Control

"Jonna, I loved the times we had bouncing ideas off one another. Your leadership has been great for the team and membership. You will forever be missed!" — Thad Peterson, VP of Engineering

"As someone that worked daily with JB and her team, I am deeply saddened by the passing of my friend and coworker. Always believing in me and giving me opportunities to succeed throughout the 7 years we worked together, I am forever grateful for her knowledge and perspective she brought to the various projects and areas we were able to positively affect. Rest easy JB and thank you for the impact you had on me and your OEC family." — Preston O'Brien, CFO

"Jonna genuinely cared deeply for everyone at the Cooperative, from asking how your family was doing, or making sure we took care of the employees. She will be missed." — Tracy Mowdy, VP of HR & Legal Services

"Jonna knew how to live life. She was always doing something crafty or creative, even with her cooking. She was great at including me in activities outside of work and sharing those kind of moments with other co-workers as well." — Amanda Hardy, Executive Services Manager

"Jonna is one of the main reasons OEC’s pre-paid system is recognized as one of the best by other electric utilities across the country and she always had the members in mind when making any decisions to better the cooperative. We will truly miss her!" — John Spencer, VP of Metering

"While Jonna was obviously a coworker to all of us over her 30 year career, she was first and foremost a friend to me…and even more than that to others here at OEC. We will miss her greatly." — Patrick Grace, CEO

"Jonna was a source of encouragement during my early years and was a forward thinker and a creative problem solver. She empowered those of us around her by welcoming our ideas and opinions. I will miss our daily conversations at work—OEC will be a much different place for me now. Her office, next door to mine, is empty and so is a part of me. OEC was fortunate to have her—I believe she moved this company forward. I was fortunate to know her. I have lost an incredibly dear friend of whom I cannot replace. Thank you Jonna!" — Amy McElhany, Manager of Member Services